Letters: Congress is failing America; Our leaders lack integrity

This quote begins Chapter 5 of the book “Drain the Swamp” by Congressman Ken Buck representing the state of Colorado. Ken Buck goes on to explain why this quote is 100 percent correct.

I have just finished reading Congressman Buck’s book. I feel every American has an obligation to read this book and act on it.

Congressman Buck should be applauded for his frankness in telling the truth about the corrupt persons we have blindly voted into Congress to serve our best interests. We thought them of high moral values who would honor their oath to defend our Constitution, not to use the position for their own gain. We, as voters, have allowed this corruption to grow by reelecting the same corrupt persons year after year. Congress was never meant to be a career, but an honor to serve our country. There are few congressmen, who like Ken Buck, really do want what is best for our country.

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Ronald Reagan warned us that “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” It looks as if the one generation may well be our children if this out of control spending isn’t stopped.

Ken Buck tells us how we can by-pass Congress for the purpose of amending the Constitution to deal with specific issues, issues like a balanced budget amendment, term limits for Congress amendment. To do this will take the majority of people, who want a better America for their children, to band together to demand our state call a Convention for proposing Amendments. This will take three-fourths of all the states to accomplish this.

Democrats are known for voting as one against anything Republicans want. Doesn’t that sound like a spoiled brat saying “If I can’t be the pitcher then I’m taking my ball and going home”? It is time for Congress to grow up and accept responsibility for the mess they have made of our country. We are failing to hold our governments (city, county, state, nation) accountable to those they are supposed to serve.

And it is time for us citizens to demand Congress to shape up or ship out. We do this by voting new people in and if that doesn’t work we turn to Article V and do it for them.

Patricia Conrad Oneida

Our leaders lack integrity

In a juxtaposition of two recent news stories one can find a lesson about integrity. Last week people cheered in New Orleans as a statue of Civil War General Robert E. Lee was removed. Misinformed and with limited knowledge they were told that the statue’s removal was somehow righting a past wrong. What these people failed to learn from history was that R. E. Lee was a man of well-known and documented integrity, honor and virtue.

Just one example of Lee’s impeccable character was retold in a Jan. 22, 2009 Washington Times story. Lee, who as others that fought on the losing side in the Civil War, had lost his fortune, his estate, his profession and his pension as a result. He was beloved in the South and respected in the North. At this time in his life when he needed financial security the most he was offered an immense sum of money for a no-show job and title of President of an insurance company. All they wanted in return was the use of his name. His firm response to the gentleman making the offer was “excuse me sir, I cannot consent to receive pay for services I do not render.”

In a different news story covered in the same week as the statue removal it was reported that some New York State Senators, Republican and Democrat alike, receive large sums of money for titles that require no duties to be performed. This taxpayer funded money is in addition to their already generous salaries. Of course we are told that this practice is well within in the rules. No surprise here, the politicians make their own rules.

We are all aware of how politicians like to spend other people’s money. Now we have learned some seem to especially like spending it on themselves first. Compare this practice to R. E. Lee words and deeds “I cannot consent to receive pay for services I do not render.” That was his rule. Perhaps one day we will find people of such integrity to represent us in our, yes our, State Legislature.

William Schmutz, Oneida

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The Oneida Daily Dispatch welcomes letters about local topics or from local people online and in print. Subject to an upper limit of 500 words, letters may be edited for length or taste.